Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said that U.S. President Donald Trump is “aiming to strangle Cuba’s economy” following Trump’s signing of an executive order imposing tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.
In a post on social media, President Díaz-Canel reacted strongly to Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on countries supplying oil to Cuba.
Claiming that Trump is being “misled by lies” spread by those around him, Díaz-Canel said:
“With a false pretext and hollow arguments peddled by those who engage in politics and enrich themselves through the suffering of our people, President Trump is seeking to strangle Cuba’s economy by imposing customs duties on countries that sovereignly trade oil with Cuba.”
Targeting U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Díaz-Canel stated:
“This new decision proves the criminal and genocidal nature of a fascist who holds the interests of the American people hostage solely for his personal gain. Didn’t the Secretary of State and his jesters claim that the blockade does not exist?”
According to reports in the Cuban press, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez argued that the damage caused to Cuba’s economy by the U.S. embargo, which has been in place for nearly 60 years, has exceeded 170.677 billion dollars.
Trump Had Signed the Executive Order
President Trump had signed an executive order envisaging the imposition of customs tariffs on countries that sell or supply oil to Cuba.
The White House argued that the decision aims to protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests against Cuba’s “harmful actions and policies.”
In a post on January 11, Trump also stated that “no oil or money will go from Venezuela to Cuba,” calling on the Havana administration to “reach an agreement before it is too late.”